breaking down the 'blade
by A Wish On the Moon
Summary: He's the future, and that's all he really can be. Bit-Beasts and Humans. Reflections. 1,051 words.


**Disclaimer**: I lay no claim to any licensed characters or intellectual properties that were used in the making of this work.

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i. Dragon

There's something to be said about the wind, something to be said about tradition and honor and talent. It's resilient and strong and enduring, fierce and powerful and honest. It brings tears and freedom and joy, brings joy and peace and happiness.

His dragon brings the winds of change with him everywhere he goes, and he can't help but let the power get to him. He's unbelievably strong, and that makes him cocky, makes him make mistakes, makes him forget to work hard.

He knows he needs to be knocked down sometimes, but he'll always get back up again, and that's probably the best part, probably why he does what he does without caring about the consequences.

ii. Phoenix

There are other things to be said about fire, about death and pain and rebirth. It's always flickering, always burning, never remaining in one place for too long. It doesn't hold loyalty to anyone other than itself, doesn't let the wind hold it back, doesn't let the earth ground it or the water extinguish it.

It's its own person, always suffering, always surviving, but never giving in. Perhaps that's why he likes the phoenix's power and resilience, because, like him, it's lonely and strong. Sometimes, they both need others to pick them up when they fall, but they can survive on their power for far longer.

He knows he can't win forever, but sometimes he doesn't think he needs to. The thrill of having a challenge is more than enough to force him to live, die, and come back from the ashes, stronger than ever.

iii. Tortoise

There's not much to be said about water, about fluidity and calmness and unique replenishment. It's too easily pushed around, too happy and calm, too strange and boring. He laughs at what everyone else thinks water should be like, because he knows water is a force to be reckoned with.

Water relies on others to hold it upright, but it also holds its own inner power. It has stamina and power, a defensive fortress that can't be broken. Like him, it can power the wind and cool the flames, can control the earth's shape and heal the wounded.

In a way, the water is like a tortoise, slow and steady, yet filled with the wisdom of age and the immovability of a rock. He knows people change, but he likes to think that he can grow up without ever losing his inner calm and happiness, without ever losing himself in the process.

iv. Tiger

There's little to be said about the earth, about strength and discipline and poverty. It's too primitive for the modern world, too meditative and harsh and aggressive. What they don't understand is that it is also calming and peaceful, a natural presence in an ever-changing world.

The earth holds the power of lightning and strength, of animalistic mountains and feline grace. In a way, it defines a people, defines who they are by where they've grown up and experienced in the world. In a way, it is like him, a disciplined fighter with a strength born not of others, but of nature and of self.

It doesn't need the wind, which cannot toss it, nor the water, which can only shape it through time. Fire cannot burn it, nor medicine cure or damage it. They both only want to see the world through their own eyes, see what can happen beyond their borders. Winning is merely an afterthought.

v. Chameleon-Bear

After the four elements, there's scarcely anything of note in a mother, in care and nurture and support. Mothers are, by nature, healers of their children, loving and caring and affectionate. What excites their children excites them, and what harms their children angers them.

In a way, they are protectors, rarely visible but always a comforting presence. In a way, that's what he is; although he's nearly the youngest of their team, he is their mechanic and strategist and cheerleader all at once. He is the glue that tries to keep them all together, the boy that jumpstarted these forces of nature.

He's not sure if that's always a good thing, but he knows that he is an invisible helping hand, and he knows that he doesn't need to win to feel as if he's doing a good job. All he needs is the happiness of his team.

vi.

She's not a force of nature, nor is she a mother, but rather a classmate responsible for the dragon of wind. She joined on a whim, wanting to fight for who-knows-what, because, really, the excitement and adrenaline in such simple sports is addicting.

She thinks she could be the girl missing from their group, or even someone's girl, if only so she doesn't seem like an outsider butting in. She's like an outside support group, nearly like their computer nerd, in that sense of watching camaraderie from the sidelines, but never being able to join in.

She's not sure what she is to the Blade-Breakers, V-Force, G-Revolution, whatever, but she knows she can't let go, can't forget. She's been kidnapped, been forced to watch the team deteriorate, and been forced into their lives for too long to be nothing but a fan. She's their _something_, and that's all that matters.

vii. Dragon II

At the very end, when the team has broken up and gone their separate ways, when there's not much of a team left, he becomes the wind's partner, an electric ball of hyperactivity, anger, and childhood. He's as solid as the earth and as powerful as the lightning, pushing the wind headfirst into fights he'd otherwise avoid.

In a way, he's the little brother, the one that expects big brothers and sisters to be fearless and strong in the faces of betrayal and doubt and sadness. He expects the girl to do something about the wind's troubles, expects the traitorous team to have something to say for themselves, to prove that they are just as bad as he thinks they are.

In the end, he may be a temporary replacement, but he's still part of the team, still a dragon, still with boundless energy and a healthy understanding of the world. He knows nobody is that perfect, knows his monkey antics can only distract the others for so long before they begin to hesitate and reflect. He's the future, and that's all he really can be.


End file.
